WASHINGTON — The first wave of President Barack Obama's new Afghanistan surge will add about 16,000 U.S. troops who got their orders over the past few days, the Pentagon announced today.

About 1,500 Marines from Camp Lejeune in North Carolina will leave for Afghanistan this month, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said. He would not be precise about when those troops arrive, but military sources have said the first forces are expected on the ground by Christmas.

After the first of the year, the Marines begin to send another 6,200 from Lejeune, Whitman said, and 800 from Camp Pendleton in California.

The Army also will begin sending in the first of its forces — a training brigade from Fort Drum, N.Y. Whitman said about 4,100 support forces from various places also will deploy early next year.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates signed the deployment orders last week. They cover a little more than half the 30,000 additional troops approved by Obama as part of an overhauled war plan announced last week.

Not covered in today's announcement are the expected deployments of two Army brigades from Fort Campbell in Kentucky. Those and additional training or support units are expected to be announced in a second wave of orders in the coming weeks.

By The Associated Press